Over the last week, the world has watched as the U.S. struggles to manage a nation-wide crisis. It’s one we’ve seen before – but, like lessons in life, crises don’t go away until they’re truly learned from and managed.
But while every police agency across the country plays a role in the management of this crisis, there is one agency in particular that has been thrust onto the front lines and has faced the most tragedy, the most loss over the last week. And while their loss has undoubtedly made their tasks all the more challenging, they have still managed to do a phenomenal job of positioning themselves as a voice of trust, credibility and leadership amidst this chaotic time.
In fact, the Dallas Police Department has been such a strong leader within this crisis that they’ve managed to help change a predominantly negative narrative to a more positive one. They have been a beacon of light throughout this emotionally difficult time.
Find out more in this week’s #crisisready video
In this week’s #crisisready video, I took a few minutes to analyze and discuss how and why the Dallas Police Department is an example of tremendous crisis management leadership for all of us to learn from. Have a watch:
More information…
There’s only so much I can say in a 4 minute video. The following link provides more information on how the Dallas Police Department, under the leadership of Police Chief David Brown, has managed to successfully position itself as a voice of trust, credibility and leadership.
- What the Dallas Police Department does right — and why doing those things could now be more difficult – The Washington Post
Additionally, here is an example of the calls to action I refer to in this week’s #crisisready video, that has helped put a positive tone to the predominantly negative narrative:
My heart goes out to the Dallas Police Department, and to all those who have suffered a tremendous loss over the past week.
Have more to add to this story?
Comment below or use the hashtag #crisisready on Twitter or Facebook and let’s continue this discussion!
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
The following extract from my upcoming new book “Crisis proofing: how to save your company from Disaster” (Oxford University Press, 2016) highlights another fine example of how the police can get it right
The Boston Marathon bombing of April 2013 is notorious for the volume of false and misleading social message activity which ensued. But the city’s Police Chief provided a textbook case study of how to provide leadership in the digital age. He live-tweeted his decisions so that no one would be second guessing, demonstrating the power of human-to-human communication and his strong emotional intelligence. His department successfully used Twitter to keep the public informed about the status of the investigation, to calm nerves and request assistance, and to correct mistaken information reported by the press. The result was applause for an “honest conversation with the public during a time of crisis” in a way that no police department had done before.
Hi Tony,
I love using the Boston PD as an example. Daniel Linskey, who was the Superintendent in Chief at the time and the incident command for the Boston Marathon Bombing, did an amazing job at leveraging different platforms throughout the management of this horrific terrorist attack. They did so well that Boston PD managed to (almost instantaneously) position themselves as the source of credible news throughout the entire investigation.
If you (and others) are interested in hearing Dan’s story, I recorded a fascinating podcast with him a few months back. Here’s the link: http://melissaagnes.com/tcip-056-terrorist-attack-crisis-management-with-daniel-linskey/
Thanks for weighing in with your thoughtful contribution!
Melissa, I agree with most of what your said. However, in the heat of battle, DPD made one big mistake: they posted and released a picture of a “suspect” (the chief used the term “person of interest” which is less inflammatory). This was early on before we found out it was just one shooter who operated from the parking garage. While they did pull down the picture eventually, This guy had noting to do with the killings yet he received numerous death threats. A local law enforcement agency in Maryland reposted the picture and told people that we “need to get this MURDERER off the streets.” Didn’t even use the term “suspect.” Those of us who do public information and social media for emergency response agencies need to be especially careful of what we disseminate thand the language we use.